Trump taps Nassau Judge Joseph Nocella Jr. to be U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named Nassau County District Court Judge Joseph Nocella Jr. as his pick for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Nocella has served as a Nassau County District Court judge since 2022, and previously served as a town attorney for Hempstead and Oyster Bay. He also served as chief of staff to Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. from 2020 to 2021.

“Judge Nocella has a strong record of bringing Law and Order to the incredible people of New York,” Trump said in a statement released by his transition team.

Nocella, a graduate of Columbia Law School and Fordham University, will replace Breon Peace as the top federal prosecutor for the federal court district covering Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Peace, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, announced his resignation last month.

Trump, in a statement, noted that Nocella served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District from 1991 to 1995.

Nocella worked for private law firms in New York and Los Angeles, but spent the bulk of his career as a local government attorney in Nassau. He was counsel to the Nassau County executive and legislature from 2010 to 2011 and 2006 to 2008, according a Newsday voter’s guide profile submitted for the 2024 election.

Nassau County Republican chairman Joseph Cairo, in a statement to Newsday, said Nocella “is dedicated to the rule of law and the pursuit of justice,” and “eminently qualified for the position, possessing the background and experience to do an excellent job serving the President and the people of New York State.”

Nocella’s appointment must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is currently controlled by a Republican majority.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.